


Lady Green

by Charlottetheweb



Series: The Finsel Chronicles [2]
Category: Helix Waltz (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, Gen, Peasants' Revolt, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25622599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlottetheweb/pseuds/Charlottetheweb
Summary: After the events of the Finsel revolution, Lynna Jorcastle is on the run from her own country. She soon realizes they all believe her to be dead and don't try to chase her. After a few escapades she ends up in a brand new court, and she tries to rebuild a life for herself as Lucette Green.
Relationships: Magda Ellenstein/Lynna Jorcastle
Series: The Finsel Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857304
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

She couldn’t fathom the outside world anymore...how long had she been locked away? Her disgusting oil-stained hair told her an eternity. Once a light blonde silk upon her head had become a mustard-like yellow. Lynna could’ve sworn she could ring it out if she really wanted to, but she was already disgusted by it..  
The sun ruthlessly burned her eyes as she finally left the prison she had been trapped in for what help like generations. She walked helplessly through the streets which had slowly begun to fill with fresh blood, spilled from both civilians and those of her standing. She had never met any of the dead corpses she had passed. As she looked down to the ground she noticed the small figure of a doll, the doll had a blood splatter across its entire body and a missing arm.  
The Finsel she had grown up in was burning at the roots. A flame had licked every part of it, and no matter how hard she tried she would never forget the screams. As soon as she heard a demon woman speak she knew what was happening.  
“Finsel needed a revolution. I mean. It’s bloody, but that works for me…”  
The girl’s eyes opened wide as she stared down at her tattered clothing which she had sloppily thrown on before rushing out of her prison cell, her jewelry which had begun to weigh heavy on her, last but not least she wished she could see herself right now.  
‘Nobody will defend me. Not even my mother.’  
Lynna Jorcastle, once the greedy, envious bastard of the Jorcastle family was now a fugitive from her own country.

X

Her home had been surrounded by looters and revolutionaries long before she had even arrived. Lynna held her hands to her mouth to cover her shock as she watched her mother being thrown to the ground by a pack of farming class civilians.  
‘Barbarians...that’s what they are…’ she thought as she watched her mother trying to get back to her feet.  
She watched as her mother saw her face, and as Tilla began to speak the farmers shoved Tilla’s face into the ground. Lynna saw something in her mother’s eyes. Something she had never seen before in her: desperation. Her mother’s eyes begged for help as the farmer held her neck down on the cold ground. She could see her mother’s eyes begging for help, be it from Lynna or the Goddess herself. Lynna didn’t know if either of them could even help.  
A small puddle of blood began to form around Tilla’s face as she came up for air as soon as the man let go of her face.  
“All of you….disgusting low life-!” Tilla had begun to yell at the top of her lungs to the men holding her down.  
“Shut up!” A man had firmly planted his foot on top of Tilla’s throat and Lynna saw Tilla’s eyes bulge.  
Tilla soon began to struggle underneath him. Lynna could hear the seams of her dress being torn away by her mother's heel as she frantically tried to kick the man off of her. Tilla’s hands had been firmly tied behind her by what looked like tape or even maybe a rope of some kind. Something Lynna had never really seen before..  
Lynna smirked a bit but that smirk near-instantly turned into horror as she saw one of the men holding a heavy-looking sword walk up to her mother.  
‘They’re going to kill her!’ That thought screamed it way through Lynna’s head over and over again.  
It felt like a demented orchestra in her mind. A bunch of screaming instruments all out of sync with each other and they all screamed a different melody.. Some told her to let her mother die. “It’s karma!” one voice spoke. Another told her to save her mother, after all Tilla could’ve just abandoned Lynna at any time, but she didn’t. Another voice, the one Lynna wanted to deny having, told her that she was the one for the job.  
‘Tilla had tortured you so long,’ the voice started, ‘It is time for revenge.’

“Stop it...Stop it!” Lynna screamed as she ran to her mother’s side as she pushed away the farmers.  
Tilla desperately gasped and coughed for air as Lynna pushed the man off of her mother. Tilla wasn’t smiling. Lynna scowled down at her mother. For once in her life her mother’s life was in her hands. She would’ve been a liar if she said she didn’t enjoy how powerful she felt at that moment. For once, her mother looked up to her.  
The farmers looked at Lynna’s face and for a second Lynna feared for her life. She didn’t want to be killed by petty farmers! She wanted at least a dignified death. She looked up at them. She was better than them, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.  
“I-I’ve been personally scorned by this..this… beast!” Lynna cried as she picked her mother up off of the ground. She hadn’t realized that tears had begun to stain her cheeks.  
Tilla had scorned her. Many many times. She was beaten, violently at that, verbally abused, imprisoned, and she had been made to know that she was nothing but a bastard and that she would never be nothing more. The only favor that woman had ever done for her was to keep her alive by the bare minimum. Lynna had never, not once, lived. It was all just survival.  
The people all looked at Lynna, for once they seemed to agree with her. They smiled cruelly and cheered Lynna on. One of them handed her a blade. A sharp, deadly looking blade, and she was instructed to do a heinous act. Killing not only another human...but her own kin. Well, Tilla wasn’t technically related to Lynna.  
Tilla was dragged inside, and thrown to the floor once again. Lynna looked down. This was it. Tilla’s judgment day. The day where Lynna would finally be free of the woman. This evil, evil woman who had tortured her for her entire life. It would be over in one quick slice.  
X

She walked out to see the people cheering for her, who had blood smeared on her hands. Lynna didn’t kill her mother. Not directly anyway. They didn’t need to know that. They also didn’t need to know about the jewelry Lynna had stolen from her mother’s room. They also didn’t need to know how Lynna’s tears looked.  
She stepped down the stairs of what used to be her home and faced an unfamiliar world. It reminded her of her earliest memories…

The first few years of her life a young Lynna had never seen the outside world. Her room was in the back of the mansion and the windows boarded shut. The room was completely empty aside from the bed that had grown flat over the years which had a blanket neatly made on it.  
The blanket was thanks to the servants, who were instructed not to speak to Lynna. Lynna had overheard the plans made by the wicked woman she had called her mother.  
“I don’t want you speaking to that thing! I want it to go insane in that tiny room! I want to send it to an asylum and be done with it already!”  
She spoke to her like she was a beast. A monster. Of course, she didn’t truly understand it until adulthood. It was still a mystery how the poor girl hadn’t lost her mind over the years. It was only when she grew older that she was let out of her tiny bedroom. It was only when she had slight use that she was let out.  
X

Lynna had no clue where she was walking to. Her entire mind was racing with the thoughts of her lover….the lover she had lost. Lawrence…. He was gone. He wasn’t dead, at least she hoped he wasn’t, but he had left her. She called out his name. Not a word….he always responded to her. No matter what he always came running.  
She held on tightly to the locket Lawrence had given her when they were young. It wasn’t much of anything, a little silver locket that hung down by a chain. She smiled as she remembered always hiding the locket from Tilla. She never wore it to balls, she had had jewelry get stolen before and the locket...she couldn’t even risk losing it. She couldn’t imagine losing it. Now it may be the only thing she has left of him. He could be dead for all she knew.  
She tucked it into her bra and kept walking. She didn’t know the direction nor did she really care to find out. All she cared about was leaving. Leaving Finsel. Leaving her entire life behind her. It all lead up to this. A tiny young noblewoman misplaced by a war.  
Lynna began to think. She came up with a few good ideas for the future as she walked through the quickly coldening woods of Finsel. She had a talent for baking, at least she thought so, a baker isn’t such a terrible job. It’s for people below her sure, but it would be at least a sort of life. Better than that she would just marry a young knight or a duke. Only her age or younger obviously. She would never marry an old man!  
‘A peasant’s job just isn’t for me. A young man will come and take me away.’  
Even if Lawrence wasn’t with her another man soon would be. She didn’t need him anyway! She could easily take care of herself...at least probably.  
The forest was dark and cold. Nothing that Lynna hadn’t experienced while she was in prison but she would rather a nice summer morning. Speaking of seasons...what season was it? It seemed a tad too warm to be winter and too cold to be summer. Must be either fall or spring.  
‘If it’s fall there will be lots of fruit.’  
Her old tattered dress loosely covered her body, it used to be a tight dress that Lynna loved because of her perfect appearance, but now it was just...loose on her. The dress managed to snag itself on tree branches and the thorns of berry bushes. The dress was torn enough anyways, she would ditch it the first chance she had. She was a noble, not just some random woman.  
‘I want a good marriage. I must look my best.’  
Lynna quietly cursed herself as she remembered that she had left all her makeup at home. Even for her family, that stuff was expensive. That girl Magda….she had every type imaginable. The little brat….she had everything, didn’t she? Sure she was in the slums for most of her life but when she came, no, snuck into nobility she gained popularity that towered Lynna’s. In only a year that girl was all the rage.  
The first time Lynna saw Magda something inside of Lynna twitched in anger. How dare she!? How dare she, a slums girl, take Lynna’s spotlight!? Lynna was supposed to be the most eligible bachelorette! Not her! The only way out was through marriage! How was Lynna supposed to get a good marriage with Magda in the way!?  
Oh, and Lynna heard every word about that Magda girl.  
‘She’s just so pretty!’  
‘I want to marry that girl!’  
‘If I had one wish it would be to marry her.’  
All things that should have been said to Lynna. Though she never got that treatment. All she ever got were stares, but not of admiration.  
Her whole life was centered around her birth. A bastard. Something completely out of her control. Even from what little she remembered of her father he never spoke to her, never held her, nothing. She never even knew her birth mother. Maybe if Lynna had been left with her real mother things would be different.  
Maybe she would be married to a foreign prince? Even a knight would do. She would have the best dresses and makeup available with no strings attached to them. Her mother would love her unconditionally, and they would be the best of friends.  
That was only a fantasy. In reality, Lynna was a fallen bastard noble with not an ally in the world. Every bridge she had ever saw she had burnt to the ground. Not a singular friend in the world. Not even Lawrence cared enough to stay. Her only friend had abandoned her. Not that she wasn’t used to that by now.  
She was more than used to driving people away. She remembered a babysitter she had. A woman Tilla had hired to beat Lynna because Tilla didn’t like dirtying her gloves. That woman didn’t care much for blood or tainting her delicate hands. She knew a slums girl wouldn’t care about any of that. Her babysitter, a slums girl with hair as white as snow, didn’t care. She didn’t care for Tilla’s instructions.  
That girl had guts that Lynna admired and envied. She wouldn’t dare disobey her mother, but that girl did it just to make Tilla mad. She had always wondered what the real reason behind that girl was. She probably would never really know.  
X

Lynna’s stomach had become accustomed to starvation. Days in the prison without any food unknowingly prepared her for the nightmare her life would quickly become. She clutched her arms close to her chest as she violently shivered. Her breath was visible in the air from the cold. Why was it so cold out? Just an hour ago she felt sweat dripping down her back and now she was frozen solid.  
A sharp wind blew across Lynna’s body making her nearly collapse onto the ground in a helpless ball. She looked around the land to try and find any type of shelter, but only found a tiny cave.  
Lynna cringed at the thought of entering a place so dirty, but she wasn’t stupid. The cave walls seemed even colder than the wind outside by a longshot but it also guarded her against the freezing winds. Lynna curled herself up into a ball trying to conserve as much heat as she could. After all this was her only option.  
Only...option? Lynna’s heart snapped. Only option. Finsel was out of the question now. Finsel was a broken kingdom now. All Lynna could do was run and hide. People were going to be after her now. She had spared her mother, sure, but that witch would take any opportunity to off Lynna. Now Tilla could kill Lynna without any consequences.  
As much as her body wanted to run, it couldn’t. She was too weak. She laid her head against the cold wall of the cave and tried to pretend she was somewhere safe. The last thing she heard was a few people speaking to each other.


	2. The tribe

Lynna’s entire body felt sore as she lifted up her body from its sleep. The first thing she noticed was the smell in the air. The noblewoman gagged at the smell of wild animals around her. She reached for her dress to cover her nose but realized her dress was completely missing.  
‘Ugh! Not only did they put me with animals they took my dress and jewels!’  
Lynna grabbed the….blanket. Where did she get a blanket from?  
‘Where am I?’  
Lynna certainly knew she was outside and not in any sort of prison, but something in her body told her she was in massive danger. The first thought that went through Lynna’s head was how she wished her knight would come and save her, but she wasn’t that childish. That clearly wasn’t gonna happen. Especially for a rotten child like her. Not even a servant would settle for her…  
“Honey, If you keep looking sad I’m gonna get upset too!”  
Lynna jumped at the sudden voice, not that it was loud or frightening, just unexpected. She turned around in the small cave and saw…  
‘An Oren. Because why wouldn’t it be?’ Lynna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman.  
The young-looking girl had big brown eyes that screamed friendly enough to let Lynna's nerves rest, freckles splattered her face and arms, her long braided hair was the exact color that Lynna imagined milk chocolate to be, and for an Oren, she dressed quite...human-like. She couldn’t have been more than 4 feet tall but her dress fit her perfectly. Her dress was brown with a white apron wrapped around the waist. Most Orens that Lynna had seen are either maids or they dress…..strangely compared to human civilians, to say the least  
“Where am I? Where are my clothes!?” Lynna demanded as she wrapped the blanket further around her body.  
“Darlin’ those ratty things? I got rid of ‘em!”  
“Are you kidding me!?” Lynna’s body shot up while she still clutched the blanket to cover herself, only then did she feel something wet dripping down her leg.  
The Oren reached for Lynna’s leg and pushed the blanket against it, “No! No! Honey keep still you’re gonna open the wounds back up!”  
“What did you do to me!?” Lynna tried to kick the Oren girl away only for one of her knees to give out and she fell right back to the cold ground of the cave.  
“I didn’t do a thing to ya’! Saw some men ‘round your sleeping body and...well I know men so I got some of my friends and we got ya’ out of there. Looks like we got there just in time too.”  
“How can I trust you!?”  
“Well, Look at ya’. Ya’ ain’t dead? What does an Oren need with a human?”  
“You took my jewelry! You bastard!”  
“I have no use for jewelry and luxuries. Listen, sweetie, if you wanna leave go on ‘head, please just heal first. I can’t have that on my mind.”  
Lynna scoffed at the request. She didn’t need to be stuck with a herd of Orens. She looked down at her leg for a few seconds. It was badly injured. She knew that at least. She had no clothes, and no way to get money for herself just yet. She sighed and agreed. Not that she had much of a choice.  
The Oren smiled a bit, “Oh yeah! By the way, I’m Mimo!"  
'ugh...Mimo? Seriously? What mother looks down at their child and names them Mimo!?’  
A thought entered Lynna's mind. These creatures were….simple. It wouldn't be hard to take advantage of them. Mimo came back to the small cave with a bowl of something that steamed.  
The bowl warmed Lynna's hands. She didn't even realize they were frozen solid until now.  
"It's a bit of stew that we all pitched in ta' make for ya. You just barely missed the festival but we still had some food leftover. It may be a bit...off but it's what we have. Winter’s said to be rough this year, the roughest we’ve had for generations,” Lynna’s eyes glazed over as she saw the food and began to lick her lips.  
Lynna looked down at the stew..the smell was surprisingly not too offensive, and it looked..decent. Which was saying a lot for a noblewoman of her standing. It was a light brown in color and had bits of what Lynna assumed, and hoped, to be a meat of some kind floating in it. Lynna looked up at Mimo.  
"Oh! Forgot, ya' humans are kinda particular about how ya'll eat. I'll get you a spoon. If we have any."  
Mimo once again left the cave. Lynna sat with her legs crossed and the bowl of stew on the ground. It took everything in Lynna’s body not to jump at the food and lick the bowl clean after she was done mauling it down. Suddenly a thought hit her.  
'They want something from me… they have to...theres no way-"  
"Here ya' are, honey!" Mimo put a large silver spoon in the bowl and left. This time she was gone for more than a minute.  
Lynna waited for her to return, but she never did.  
The stew had stopped steaming as much and Lynna grabbed the spoon. It was huge...not a soup spoon. In fact, the whole spoon would’ve probably taken up Lynna’s whole mouth. It was only slightly better than drinking from the bowl itself…  
The second the stew hit her tongue she felt her entire body was being ravaged by a hunger that she didn't know she had. Lynna eagerly devoured the stew in large spoonfuls, she barely tasted what it was. All she knew was the desire to eat. The need. The stew was barely there for a minute.  
Lynna looked down at the empty bowl and wiped her mouth off on her forearm. She had a strong urge to try to scrape the last bits onto the spoon. As soon as the spoon bit the bottom of the bowl she remembered one of the many lectures about 'being a proper lady' a surprisingly rare lecture from her mother.  
In a small way, she rebelled against her mother by scraping the bowl of every bit of food in it. It felt wonderful. Lynna had almost forgotten what actual food tasted like.  
Mr.Guard, as Lynna liked to call him, usually only brought her bread, stale foods that nobody had wanted, and the occasional pastry if he was feeling generous. For what it was worth Mr. Guard wasn't awful to Lynna. He had never hurt or hit her. He had more than the opportunity to do so he had permission to. Yet, he never raised a hand to her.  
Lynna shook her head as she tried to shake off memories of the prison. She had enough bad memories as it was. She didn't need an extra few.

Lynna sat up and gripped the wall for support as she stood up being careful to not open a wound back up. Sun poured into her eyes and the smell of fresh flowers filled her nose and slightly covered up the smell of animals.  
She giggled a bit to herself as she saw the tiny Orens walk. They were so small. Even Lynna, who was barely above the 5-foot mark, towered most of them. She was...probably still gonna grow a bit...hopefully.  
The Orens walked about in their aprons and dresses from place to place. The Oren children chased each other from place to place, and Lynna caught sight of one climbing a tree. The Oren children were even tinier than the adults. Most of them looked like toddlers running around doing things a 10-year-old would do.  
The village was stunning. It was a natural kind of beauty, a beauty near unknown to Lynna. Their homes were simple and flowers covered the ground. Berry bushes surrounded the small village. There was a large cauldron in the middle of the village that occasionally blew in the wind. There were flower garlands put across trees and small homes.  
It looked like a fairy tale. Nobody was drunk, crying, or harassing anybody else. These creatures had more humanity than… no. They are below her. Orens are not to be compared to a noblewoman.  
Lynna smiled. They all looked like tiny children. They reminded her of one of her many caregivers. A short girl with white hair. She wondered where Shana was right now…  
She looked down at the ground. Her smile faded. Was this her new life? Was she to be surrounded by Orens forever? She had nowhere to turn to. She had an aunt but nobody had seen her in years. Lawrence had abandoned her. She had burnt every relationship she had. Nobody in Finsel would help her. Not a single soul.  
Lynna felt a single tear run down her face as she sat down in the ground. She felt something touch her hair and she spun around to see small open children. Two girls holding a single flower crown that they put on Lynna's head.  
"What are you doing!? Leave me alone!"  
"Auntie Mimo said we outta be real kind to ya'." one of them squeaked as they backed away from Lynna suspiciously.  
"So we made you a flower crown! We hope you like it."  
The girls dropped the flower crown on Lynna's head. Lynna felt something build within her. The urge to smile. For the first time in months, she wanted to smile. She felt her mouth curl up a bit and she wiped the single tear from her eye.  
Lynna took the crown off of her head and looked at it. It was cute in a simple way. It had pastel-colored flowers on it and bright green leaves to contrast.  
"What's ya' name?" The shorter girl asked as she smiled at Lynna.  
"Lyn-uh… my name? It's…"  
"Lynn? That's your name?"  
"No! My name is not Lyn it's-" Lynna thought for a moment. She couldn't say her real name. She couldn't! She wasn't stupid! Lynna would give her cover away.  
"Lulu."  
"Lulu? That's your name then. No weirdness? So it's not Lyn?"  
Lynna blushed at the young child," Well, my uh..middle name is Lyn! Yeah, I used to go by it when I was younger but I prefer Lulu now. Call me Lulu!"  
"Lulu...Lyn? Well, I'll be damned you already got an Oren's name now don't ya!" Mimo peaked around a corner and shooed the children away, "Well, Lulu, I was gonna call you Gigiti but I guess if Lulu is what you're called we'll go with that."  
The oren stuck out her hand. Lynna reluctantly shook it as she wondered what diseases Orens could spread.  
"Now! You do have a last name right? It's Lulu Lyn something, right?"  
"Of course!" As much as she wanted to say Jorcastle she knew that would get her killed. She looked around the village and then to a tree which the children were playing around, "Green."  
"Lulu Green huh?"  
"Yes! Lulu Lyn Green. Spelled g-r-e-e-n too."  
Mimo looked confused for a moment before raising an eyebrow and looking down sternly at Lynna.  
“Ya’ don't gotta be condescending!"  
"W-what?"  
"Just cause ya'll got some fancy schmancy last name don't mean a thing!"  
"W-what that's not-" Lynna got up off the ground for a second.  
Mimo grabbed onto one of Lynna's hands and pulled Lynna down to her level.  
"Listen, Lulu, I wanna like you. In order for me to like ya,' you're gonna have to drop the fancy stuff. Us Orens don't have last names. At least most of us here don't."  
"Y-yes… I'm sorry…" she questioned why Mimo was so stern about last names. She was the one who asked after all.  
"Nah, don't worry 'bout it. We all make errors. I'm hoping I didn't make one by saving ya' life."  
XXXXXXXXXXX

Lynna's life had become something of a fairy tale. Not in a happy way but in a strange way. She felt like a little snow-white. She was a noblewoman! Yet, she had begun to feel content with her life.  
A noblewoman who had been displaced by war had been living with a group of Orens for….months? Maybe a few weeks. Lynna didn't bother counting the days.  
The little cave she used to sleep in became much more comfortable when the tailor of the village, a cute young Oren boy, had given Lynna a blanket and some fluffy feather pillows he had made especially for her.  
She always made sure to smile and wave whenever they passed ways. He had a crush on her. Or… he had a crush on Lulu, not the true Lynna. She felt disgusted whenever her heart craved to see him. She was human!  
'Those thoughts are disgusting, Lynna! Don't even imagine it!'  
She imagined it. Maybe Lynna felt it was disgusting but not Lulu? She hated the thought. She grabbed her nicest dress and slipped it on. It was a nice pretty blue, and she tied an apron at the waist of it.  
As she walked over to the pond just a tad north of the village she heard a bit of rustling in the woods. She spun around quickly. She was greeted by the tailor, who was beet red and holding wildflowers out to her. The flowers were all sorts of colors.  
"I'm...M-Miss Green. I uh….please accept these!" The boy pushed the flowers into the front pocket of her apron.  
If she had been back at home in court she would've slapped him and ran to a guard. Apart of her wanted to, but all she did was smile down at him.  
"Thank you, I've never gotten flowers before….what's your name again?"  
"M-my name is Palu! I'm a tailor! I made the dress you're wearing.."  
"Thanks, Palu, but I can't accept these...I'm….allergic…."  
"B-but Miss Green we live in a forest.."  
Lynna thought for a moment about how to respond...Palu was sweet… she couldn't simply hurt him with her words, "Well, Palu,"  
Lynna got down to Palu's height, "Where I come from women aren't supposed to accept gifts from men. It's seen as scandalous if a woman receives a gift from a man who isn't their family or husband."  
She wasn't completely lying at least, but it was better than saying she wasn't going to accept flowers from him.  
Pali looked up at Lynna with what looked like tears in his eyes, "Well...I…"  
"I'm very sorry, Palu. I'm trying to be just like the Orens but-"  
"L-let's get married then!"  
The forest fell silent for a moment and Lynna felt vile rising in her throat for a moment. Palu looked up at Lynna.  
"Miss Green I'm sorry! I-"  
Before he managed another word he sped off into the forest. Lynna had never seen a human or an Oren run so fast in her entire life. She looked down at the flowers in her apron. They had already begun to stain her white apron a light green in spots. She grabbed the flowers and threw them to the ground.  
"No, Lynna. Don't. You can't get attached to the idea of an...an Oren." She whispered to herself as she looked down at herself in the lake. An Oren wouldn't bring her to nobility or provide a good life.  
Lynna took a hair comb out from her pocket and began to comb her hair as she spoke to her own reflection. She barely saw the beautiful noblewoman anymore. She noticed how her hair had grown remarkably long, almost down to her legs, and while it was less shiny,it looked very healthy. Sure, her hair had always been a tad on the longer side, but she still wasn't used to the new length. She liked it. She remembered begging her 'Mother' to let her grow her hair out, even just an inch.  
Lynna stood up from the pond.  
"Alright, Lynna no more procrastination. We have to get food for the Orens."  
The nearest village was only a mile walk away. She hadn't seen another human in days… maybe she could escape...no. Something wanted her to stay...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the 2nd chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Lynna began towards her destination and held a small woven basket in her small hands. She had been given a specific list from Mimo on what to get. Mostly the list was just bread, flour, and most of the normal cooking things. Also, birdseed was on the list. Oren’s are strange. Wouldn't a bird Oren just be a sulla? 

She heard the light clicks of gold in her pockets as she walked. It was enough to get the basics for the Orens. Of course, she'd rather spend it on herself but maybe it was time to stop thinking like that.

This was a fresh new start after all. She didn't have to be Lynna anymore if she didn’t want to be. She could be anybody she wanted. She could be a simple woman with a job at a bakery, a nun, a knight, a nurse, or even a seamstress. Anything she could think of now was possible. She had no idea the effect of a simple name had until now.

Before she knew it she was at the gate to the village. This time it was armed by guards. They hadn't ever given her a hard time before, so why would this time be different?

"Ma'am we can't just let you in."

Lynna flinched as the guard looked down at her. She was in front of the village. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she had forgotten about Mimo warnings. Mimo had said _something_ about new guards. Lynna hadn't paid much attention to the Oren.

"Well...hello… may I pass? It's just a lovely day for shopping isn't it?" Lynna attempted to make calm and polite conversation. She had learned that would usually go well in these situations.

The guard raised his eyebrows at Lynna.

"Uh..yeah... Listen, miss, I have some questions before I let you in."

"Yes! Of course. Anything. Ask away."

"You're from Finsel are you not?"

"Well, I...um…"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes...I was misplaced by the revolution.."

"The revolution huh? Thought that just had to do with nobility? You have a Finsel accent you know..." The guard looked down at Lynna with suspicion plastered all over his face.

"Of course not! Do you think it didn’t affect the citizens?" Lynna got in his face, something considered very very un-noble basically everywhere just to further her point.

The second guard looked over to the first and grabbed his shoulder to pull the other guard back, "She has a point."

"Hm. Fine. Well, what's your name. Full."

“Lulu Lyn Green,” That time Lynna barely hesitated to say her faux name as she had grown accustomed to being called by now.

The second guard looked down at Lynna, “Kind of a strange name… wouldn’t you say?” He looked over at his buddy though the other guard had his face shield down. She knew from the aura in the area that he was suspicious. She could read the room well, and the pages said a one-way ticket to Finsel was being foreshadowed _**heavily.**_

Lynna felt her heart race and her face go red. Luckily she had one trick up her sleeve, one of the best things she had ever learned from her mother.

“How dare you!? I come here seeking shelter and you insult my family name!?”

“Whoa there Ma’am I didn’t-” The guard took a few steps back and reached for his sword before his buddy grabbed his shoulder to calm him.

“I’ll have you know that the name Lulu goes back generations!” Lynna got up in the second guard’s face and pointed directly at him, “My great great great grandmother’s name was Lulu, and so was my mother’s! Goddess rest her poor soul…” Lynna stopped her rant for a second to look away and put her hands together over her heart, “My name is the only thing I have left of her and you have the nerve to insult me!? What gives you the right!?”

“Well...uh… ma’am I-”

“You what!? You are inconsiderate and you should be ashamed of yourself!”

The guard blushed red and looked down, “I’m sorry Ma’am…. I didn’t know… I should’ve been a bit more...sympathetic.”

Lynna nodded her head and looked to the first guard who near immediately looked away from her and towards the ground.

“Well, boys this has been a nice chat but I have to get some things done, so may I please enter?”

“Yes, of course.” One of the guards stepped aside from the gate and gave the other guard a look to move.

Lynna nodded her head and began through the gates. The town was small, at least by her standards which wasn’t saying a lot. She felt her cheeks flush a bit from causing such a scene, but she had to get in somehow, and sneaking in clearly wasn’t an option. Not that she didn’t know how to sneak in, but just asking was just less suspicious.

The town smelled much different from the Court. Instead of the constant smell of heavy perfume worn by young girls, who clearly had no clue how to use it, it smelled like fresh-baked bread, sunshine, and grass. She didn’t even smell a hint of perfume. It was a very welcome change from the not so pleasant smell of Oren she had grown used to. She took a bit of her apron and smelled it just to make sure she didn’t smell like an animal before she went further into town.

The green lady picked up a bit of her dress and began walking through the small town. People waved and smiled at her. She smiled back at the people and she even got a few compliments on her outfit. She smiled as the warm sun lit up her face and arms with a bright feeling of warmth and happiness. Her feelings were interrupted by a sudden tug at the end of her dress. She whipped around to see what had pulled it and saw a little girl. A  _ very _ little girl.

“Um...excuse me..your hair? It’s very pretty...is it okay if I braid it? Just real quick! I promise it won’t take long!” The child’s eyes were a dark brown that complemented her black hair. 

“I uh….of course,” Lynna had to be back by sunset but she had time to spare.

The little girl smiled and took her hand. Lynna looked down at the young child. Her clothes were pretty badly tattered, and her hands looked scarred. As much as her brain wanted her to say something her mouth refused to move.

“Sit here!” The little girl patted the side of a fountain. Lynna flinched as she sat down for the young girl, she wondered how dirty her dress was going to be after this was over.

“So...what’s your name?” A voice broke the awkward silence as the girl spoke.

“My name is Lulu, what’s-”

“I’m Moona.”

Lynna felt little hands going through her hair. It brought something back from deep within her memories.

X

  
  


“Lynna! Lynna!” Tilla ran down the staircase as she called to her daughter.

Lynna felt her heart skip a beat as she saw what was in her hands: A dress. Not just a dress. THE dress. The dress was gorgeous, with golden ribbon and lace all around the poofy dress of the gown. Something that was quite a in style when she was growing up. While she didn’t have all the luxuries of a normal noble child she did have access to all the newest fashions due to her status. 

All of this would’ve been a normal day..if Tilla had not looked so angry. Behind the golden dress was another dress. An older dress that Lynna had hid in the back of her closet for at least a month.

“Lynna, what did I tell you about these dresses?”

Lynna had remembered all the lectures about dresses. All dresses are specially made for a noble like her, and are all very expensive. Finsel is the height of the fashion world and styles change so often that to keep up with all the latest fashions is near impossible, but dresses usually can come back into style over a few years, and it’s very important to keep dresses in pristine condition.

“They’re very expensive, mother…”

“And?”

“They need to be kept-”

“In pristine condition. Do you know how much this dress costs?” Tilla held up the pink frilly dress that had been in style almost a year ago. The dress was wrinkled…

“I...I don’t-”

“Over 10,000 gold, Lynna. Do you know where I found this dress? On the floor, Lynna.”

Lynna shivered as she heard her mother say her name. Tilla always pronounced the Lyn harder when she was mad, and she could tell her mother was fuming. She slowly began to look up at her mother who was slowly approaching her level. Tilla crouched down and looked directly into Lynna’s eyes as she spoke.  
“Lynna. What would happen if this dress went out of style?” Tilla held up the gold dress

“I-it would be seen less…”

Tilla slammed the dress on the floor, “Don’t get smart with me, you brat!” Tilla stomped her foot on the ground which made Lynna flinch terribly.

Lynna quickly went to grab the dress, but she felt her head being tilted up by Tilla’s shoe. She pointed Lynna’s face to look at her own. Tilla’s eyes were set on fire.

“Noblewomen never ever let their dresses get dirty. Nor are they ever seen at the complete mercy of another. Luckily for you, you’ll never be a noblewoman.”

Tilla lowered her foot and Lynna’s head along with it. She quickly put the heel of her shoes on the dress and tore. The ripping of seams made Lynna’s skin crawl. As much as she wanted to try to save the now shredded dress she knew it was far too late.

“You will only wear your older dresses, and no I don’t care if they fit you or not. Maid!”

Tilla clapped two times and a dark-haired maid came rushing to her,    
Make sure the brute only wears the tackiest dresses she has, or she doesn’t leave her room. For the rest of the season!”

X

  
  


“Miss?”

“Huh!?” Lynna snapped out of it and looked down at Moona who was smiling brightly.

“Your hair is done!”

Lynna picked up the long braid in her hands. It felt...like hair. Whenever she went in public her hair was so full of gel and product it might as well have just been a hat. Her hair felt natural, and light on her head. Small strands of her hair stuck out of the braid, something that was unbelievable for her mother. It felt freeing in a certain type of way. 

As she looked down at Moona, she felt something...twitch within her. Something changed. Though she didn’t know what it was. This little girl had...nothing to gain from being nice to Lynna, but for some reason she was.

“Thank you, Moona. It’s lovely.”

“No problem, miss! Oh, are you from Finsel too!”

“Matter of fact I am....well depending on who’s asking, of course.”

“I’m from Finsel too! My parents sent me here to protect me from the revolution. They’re gonna come for me soon.”

“You..don’t have parents?”

“No, no, no! They’re just back in Finsel. They’re gonna come back soon.”

Lynna looked down to the ground, ‘Maybe civilians have it bad but I worse everything was taken from me!’

“Hey, Moona? Do you know where the bakery is?”

“Yes! Of course! Just follow me.”

X

Lynna felt a warm feeling as she watched Moona devour the bread Lynna had gifted to her. The skinny little girl's eyes beamed when Lynna held the loaf out to her.

“So, Moona. Where do you live?”

Between bites of bread, Moona managed to shake her head no.

“D-do you not have a home?”

Moona nodded her head yes.

“Moona, you need a home you can’t just live on the streets your whole life.”

“Well, my parents are going to come back to me! They promised.”

“Moona...I-” Before Lynna could continue she remembered a childhood innocence was precious, invaluable even, “I’m...sure they will soon...:”

“Thank you, miss!”

X  
  


The day had rapidly turned to evening, and Lynna lost track of Moona sometime along the journey. The small basket of bread she carried had gone from hot to lukewarm. The sun looked down at Lynna and told her to go back home...no not home...where she was temporarily staying, at least for now...

A small crowd had gathered around something. They were all in a circle, Lynna had a lot of knowledge on how to squeeze through crowds. This crowd didn’t part when she pushed but pushed her back. She felt her blood boil as finally she began to push a little bit harder and managed to get a half-way decent view of what was going on, but by the time she managed to see any of it, whatever was going on had ended with an arrest of an older looking man.

“Please! I just want to see my daughter!”

“I’m sorry sir, we have orders to arrest any Finsel resident.” The guard said as he helped the man to his feet.

“But I’m not a nobility! I swear my daughter is here, she's only a baby! She needs me!”

The crowd began to disperse, but Lynna stayed still as she watched the scene. The man began to try and pull his hands away from the guard.

“Sir, stop struggling! I don’t want to have to use force.”

“I can’t, please! I have nothing to give you but I’ll owe you me and my daughter’s life, please! Her mother died and I’m all she has!”

“Sir, I wish I could help you but we cannot be hiding fugitives.”

“Well, why not!? I’m innocent! Is being from Finsel a crime?!”

“No sir...but we have reason to believe you are nobility until you can prove otherwise. We have the right to imprison anybody who we think to be nobility. King’s orders.”

Lynna still looked at the scene from a small distance along with a few other onlookers. The guard looked at Lynna’s shocked face as Lynna moved closer to the guard. 

“Miss, I’m gonna ask you to leave. This is not your business-”

“It is too my business, I am from Finsel myself! How dare you attempt to arrest my brother!”

The older man looked up at Lynna, confused almost.

“Ma’am, am I gonna have to arrest you as well?”

Lynna stepped closer to the guard and looked directly in his eyes, “What proof do you have that my brother is a noble?! Do you see his clothing!? What noble would wear that?! I wouldn’t know what nobles like but I would surely know that even in a revolution they aren’t going to be seen in that!”

“Ma’am I’m going to have to ask you to stop immediately. I can and will arrest you.”

“And waste your time!? Let him go and this can all be over. I won’t ask you again.”

“Miss! You have no right to tell me what to do!” The knight grabbed Lynna by her wrist and picked her up.

“Unhand her, Joen,” A female knight walked up to him and looked him square in the eyes, which apparently scared him enough to drop Lynna. Lynna grabbed her arm and held it for a second to dramatize the situation, she wanted this guy to look bad.

“She claims this man is her brother, and he could be a nobility!”

“Joen, stop. Just go back to the barracks,” The blonde-haired woman put her hand to her face.

Joen huffed and walked past the girl, and she gave him possibly one of the dirtiest looks Lynna had ever seen and that was really saying something considering her reputation and mother. Lynna recognized the look as a ‘ You are in super and I mean SUPER big trouble’ type of look.

“Listen, Miss Green, I'm really sorry ‘bout him,” The knight looked at Lynna and clearly tried to give a reassuring smile but it looked more stupid than sympathetic, “He...does this sort of thing regularly.”

“Well, I’m gonna ask that you let my brother go! He’s done no wrong! A-and how do you know my name!?”

“You uh...made quite the impression with my men this morning. They really didn’t have a right to stop you. Queen’s orders don’t hold up here, not when I’m in charge. Well, they do, but who cares? I certainly don’t.”

“Nice to know your sob story, but my brother needs some help!”

“Ah...yes...of course..” The girl undid the cuffs around the man's hands, and the man looked at the girl and Lynna before thanking them and walking off.

“My name is Anika, head guard around here. If you don’t mind I’d love to show you around our town sometime, Lulu.”

“I think I’ll pass, but thanks.”

X

Lynna woke up in a cold sweat that night. She wiped off her forehead and looked outside. She noticed a few bright lights illuminating the forest like tiny moons. Lanterns. She couldn’t see what was holding up said lanterns but it certainly wasn’t an Oren, so it was probably a stranger. Lynna felt around in her blanket trying to locate….Ah! There it was!

A small knife that had been given to her by Mimo earlier that day. More like a dagger, really just a small one. Smaller than normal. It could’ve been considered a kn-

“You think we’re gonna get anything halfway decent from Oren’s?” A voice said through the darkness, “If you wanted to find nobility you’re not looking in the right spot.”

Those words cut through Lynna’s confidence in her newest hiding spot. At least they weren’t going to look too far into it, hopefully. After all, it  _ was _ kind of a strange spot for a noble to be hiding. She let out a small breath and inhaled a few times to get her heart rate down. 

“Come on. Let’s just check anyway. What’s the harm?”

“Getting mauled by-”

“The equivalent of a few angry toddlers?”

There was a pause.

“Fair enough, let’s just make this quick!”

The yelling sounded familiar to Lynna, she had heard it before. The voice was definitely feminine but not too much and had quite a bit of a masculine touch. She knew somehow the voice belonged to a woman despite its ambiguity, though she had a hard time figuring out how exactly she knew.

She saw the lanterns grow closer and just before she could make out the silhouettes she covered herself with the blanket and retreated further into the small cave she had been making a home in for the past few days...weeks? Did it matter anymore?

Lynna’s back was at the end of the shallow cave as she noticed a lantern walk past her followed by another one. One stopped.

“Uh….what about this one? There’s something in the way back of it.”

Lynna cowered into her blanket and tried to be as still as she could. She didn’t know why she was so afraid but these people…..they were bad news. She knew it. Like most things in her life she didn’t know why she knew it but she did. Her instincts were fairly strong and hadn’t failed her so far. These people just felt wrong in so many ways. 

It made her stomach clench up and bile to rise in her throat. It was like the feeling she got whenever she saw her mother come home upset from a ball, or...or when a boy asked her for a walk and she later found out he was a killer. It was an awful feeling. She hated it. She wanted it gone.

_ ‘Please leave, please, please, PLEASE, just leave.’ _ Lynna prayed to the Goddess for it all to be over for somebody to chase them off.

She heard a few footsteps echoing in the cave and a few muffled laughs. She went still and barely took a moment to breathe as she felt something prod at her back.

“Ah, false alarm. I think it’s just an Oren. Too short.”

If Lynna wasn’t a cornered animal she would’ve taken offense to the statement...she thought her height was perfectly fine. Right now her concerns were elsewhere. For once in her life, she was kinda thankful for her short stature. Even though she was taller than almost all of the Oren's, somebody who wasn’t around them much would be fooled by her height. 

Lynna took a tiny breath in as she felt footsteps leaving her cave. Her heart began to beat just a bit slower and her shaking ceased, at least for the moment. 

“Let me take a look,” The familiar voice spoke as she felt more footsteps, heavier footsteps, coming up to her.

Lynna pulled the blanket over her head as if it could save her from her current situation. The darkness almost made her feel better until she felt a hand on her blanket. It tugged a few times gently, but Lynna’s grip was stronger. She felt one hard tug and the blanket nearly slipped from her fingers but she narrowly managed to keep it in hand.

Lynna heard much smaller footsteps from outside of her cave, “What on earth are y'all doing to her!?”

Lynna had never been happier to hear the shrill voice of an Oren in her ears. She breathed a small bit as she heard Mimo approach.

“Ah, Chieftess Mimo how do you-”

“Now it is far too late for formalities! You and your boyfriend get outta here!”

“Hey she’s not my-” Another voice started before being interrupted by Mimo.

“NOW!” Mimo shrieked in a voice that even hurt Lynna’s ears and she had cover to protect them slightly. She didn't want to imagine what it sounded like without it.

X

Lynna was still shaking from the night’s events when Mimo grabbed her a cup of…..well she wasn’t sure exactly what it was but it tasted like winter memories. The taste comforted her a fair bit as Mimo tried to calm her down.

“They’ve been comin’ ‘round here for days now. Searchin’ and searchin’ for somebody to hurt,” Mimo looked up at Lynna and flashed a motherly smile at her, “If I’m gonna be truthful to ya’ I must tell you I know you’re noble, Lulu.”

Lynna didn’t bother denying it and just nodded her head before taking another sip of the sweet drink and looking at the noble Oren who saved her life just minutes beforehand.

Mimo sighed a bit and looked to her side, “I know what they want. Gold and lots of it too. There's this demon-lady down in Finsel who will pay top dollar for any noble that fled. Enough gold to pay for a barony I believe. Either way, a lot of money. Those...well best way I can describe them is bounty-hunters, will take bribes as well. I’ve seen it happen before. Nobles have passed my village looking for shelter and I said no, only to watch them be escorted back to Finsel in both chains and tears.”

Lynna scoffed a bit and looked to the side of her. She noticed a tiny blood splatter on the ground of her cave.

“Lulu, I don’t know who you really are but I want to protect you. I wanna do what I didn’t for the others. My job as a chieftess isn’t easy and I have to make many decisions. I decided to help you because…..well because I’m selfish.”

Lynna perked up at the selfish comment. How on Earth was Mimo selfish. She risked everything to keep Lynna safe and sound and she was selfish? 

“How are you selfish?” Lynna blurted out.

“Well,” Mimo started, “I’m puttin’ my emotions over the rest of my tribe. I put them at risk because I felt bad letting people probably die. It’s selfish of me, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I can tell you’re different Lulu. You ain’t like the rest. You have respect.”

“Ugh, Not really.”

“Some. Respect. A few nobles full-on demanded to be let in and I refused them.”

“Well, why would you even feel bad then? They were rude to you. I wouldn’t feel bad.”

“It’s a lot easier said than done. They’re people, too. You don’t have to think about it every night.”

“I wouldn’t think about it at all, Mimo.” 

Mimo looked up as Lynna said her name, “Lulu, you’re just not getting it. I’m gonna leave you be for the rest of the night you need rest. Don’t worry about getting supplies at town today. I can….I can manage.”

Lynna raised an eyebrow at this, “What do you mean you can manage.”

“Well, ya’ don’t think I just send you out there because I don’t wanna go myself do ya’?”

Lynna shrugged her shoulders. That was the exact reason she thought Mimo was keeping her around this long.

“Listen, I know in Finsel things are...different. Oren’s can vote and have rights but here? No. We don’t have that luxury.”

Lynna cocked her head to the side and listened to the Oren intently. Maybe if she listened hard enough she could grasp where she was in the world. She knew she couldn’t be too awful far from Finsel.

“Lulu, it’s rough out here for us,” The Oren’s eyes were drawn to the floor as she spoke with a sad smile slowly spreading across her cheeks, “We can grow enough food to sustain ourselves if we’re willing to starve, and the village is only growing bigger with time. We’re trying to grow more food, but most places won’t serve our kind. Most of us can’t get jobs as anything but servants and the gold we give you is either stolen, given to us by those with sympathy, or from what jobs we _can_ take up.”

“Well, then why do you send  _ me _ out to get supplies?” Lynna only a few seconds later realized how rude that sounded even though she hadn’t meant it in that sort of way.

“Simple. Prices.”

“Prices?”

“This town will raise the price for Orens. Simple enough really. I thought you would’ve grasped that.”

Lynna opened her mouth to retort but Mimo held one finger up to silence her.

“A human can buy a piece of bread for about….”

“5 gold,” Lynna knew the price of bread by heart as it was the thing Mimo requested the most.

“20 for Orens.”

Lynna’s eyes opened wide in shock and then she recoiled in disgust at even the thought. Raising a price so much? In Finsel she knew that was a crime! She had listened to the bore of a man named Barris enough times to catch just a bit of what laws did and did not exist. She remembered for one reason or another they were in the same store one day coincidentally and Barris defended her when the clerk raised the price 100 gold because of Lynna’s status. He went on and on about the laws of Finsel and how this was an injustice. He ended up telling the clerk to give Lynna the dress for free afterward. Lynna never actually thanked Barris….

“I know, Lulu. Hard to believe isn’t it?”

“Why don’t you just leave then?”

Mimo actually seemed puzzled by this, at least for a moment. Her eyes glazed for a moment as she thought over what to say. Lynna could tell she was in thought, not confusion anymore. Mimo tapped her fingernails on the cave rhythmically and finally looked up after a few minutes of silence.

“Now that you’ve had time to think, Lulu,” Mimo began, “Do you understand how stupid of a question that is?”

Lynna was taken aback by this, “It is not a stupid question!”

“Fine. I’ll give you a quick explanation. What’s the main thing you need when you move?”

“I-I don’t know!”

“Gold, Lulu. Gold and food a-and a place to even go!” Mimo’s eyes flared up a bit in anger before she took a deep breath, “ _ If _ we had a place to go, believe me, I would’ve taken my tribe and left by now, but this land is  _ ours.  _ O ne of the kings of the past gave this land to my great-great-great-whatever grandfather and it’s finally passed down to me. No matter how much people try to pull  _ I _ own this land and I can do what I want with it.”

“Why haven’t you built farms or something similar?”

“Well,” Mimo crossed her legs and looked at Lynna, “That's where you come in. First, we need to get people used to your presence and you’ll bring us seeds and help us get rid of a few trees.”

“Why hasn’t this been done before I came here?”

Mimo raised and lowered her shoulders, “Well, I’m gonna let you sleep now. You’ve seemed to calm down quite a bit.”

Lynna nodded her head as she watched the Oren walk out of her cave.

**Author's Note:**

> AHhh! Thank you all for reading! I have another fanfiction up on my Tumblr (TBH not very proud of it but if you wanna check it out my Tumblr is https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cocoisbestgirl).  
> I have a lot planned for this little story and please don't be too harsh on me!  
> Anyway, have a good night/day!!!


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